94 Ambush

"I am going to beat you up if we don't find it in a day," I said as I rotated my wrists while waiting for their machine to turn on. It was a modified device that used to be something that created wormholes to travel through normal space. Now it had served Giblet to take him toward the dimension at the edge of the universe.

Apparently, even as a Super Saiyan God, he was unable to break space and enter that dimension. He needed some help to get to the edge before exiting the universe. It certainly spoke of the resilience of this universe. Though it seemed to be easier to return to this universe because of his teleportation.

"I already told you it won't be easy to find it." Giblet sighed as he also warmed up, preparing for a possible battle.

"This is fucking bullshit. You find your way to this universe, what's the difference to bringing me to mine?" I asked, jumping slightly as I continued to make my blood boil. I was getting a bit nervous as I saw the gate build up the energy before several beams shot out and collided in the middle.

"Because I have ki stored as an anchor point in this universe in case I needed to find my way back."

"...That is actually quite clever." Next time, I should probably find a way to create something along that idea as well. I wouldn't be lost that way and I could find my way back in case something like this happened again. Didn't want to continue relying on the benevolence and competence of others. What would I do if they had no way for me to return or even give me some help? I would have to start from scratch. "How do you prevent the energy from dissipating?"

"God ki."

"...Okay. That's not much of an answer. Didn't you say we shouldn't leak our energy in order to prevent them from sensing it? Seems to me that you are inviting them to this universe."

"They won't be able to sense my ki." Thanks for nothing. He seemed to realize that I was dissatisfied with his non-explanatory answer, so he made an effort to explain it more in-depth. "It's part of my divinity, so I don't need to sense it since I would know where it is. It is similar to how you control ki blast despite it exiting your body and not being attached directly to you. God ki is a bit different as it transcends time, space, or even this universe."

That was something I had never heard about in the series. Well, to be fair not much was being said about god ki in general. Just that it was used by divine beings and some Saiyans.

Giblet continued. "I have placed several anchors in different universes, so I could continue my search from different places. At this point, it is already forming a net that covers most of the surroundings. It wouldn't even be hard to navigate to one anchor point from this place."

"And the reason why we don't teleport to one anchor point closest to where you picked me up is?"

"Because you don't know where your universe is. From what I sensed when I found you was that you just arrived there as well." Oh, yeah. Metron that fucker teleported us away with his chair. "The place, the universes always shift in position. I can only pinpoint your universe if I can detect it in relation to my anchors. This universe is the center of my net and therefore has the most connections in every direction. So even if everything moved, I would still have a general grasp because I would know where my anchors are. It will be easiest to narrow down the location if we get a general direction from here. We would need to check every single universe if we go in this blind."

"I see... I thought the universes are in the same space, just vibrating at a different frequency. Wouldn't it be enough to check my frequency and just travel to the universe that matches it?"

"That would be the case if it was just a different timeline." Batman suddenly interjected as he continued typing on his tablet-like device. He oversaw the process of turning on this gate. There were a few heroes there as well, like Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern, looking like they were expecting something to come out of the gate and attack them. Well, from what Giblet had mentioned, it wasn't unlikely.

"The thing you are describing with frequency is the different timelines. There are near-infinite timelines, swirling around in that dimension you are going to travel to. However, as I understand you don't want to go to another timeline of this universe, but another universe altogether."

"Yeah... How many universes are in the surrounding anyway? Metron couldn't have teleported us too far away, right?"

"I think you still don't understand and underestimate the 'space' between the universes. It isn't something static. It is dynamic, fluid ever-changing. On our way toward your universe, we could come across thousands of other universes or none. Perhaps this universe even borders next to yours and the next day it would be different again, which is why I created this system of using anchor points to have a sense of direction." Giblet explained calmly as he watched the gate form slowly.

I couldn't help but sigh at the sheer scale I was dealing with. Just trying to wrap my head around it was a bit difficult despite the fact that I was quite familiar with the multiverse theory and the different possibilities it could entail.

"Man, the last time it didn't seem that difficult." To be honest, I hadn't much to do as the scientist of two earths were responsible for creating a connection between the two universes. Who knew how long it would have taken Raven and I if we had to travel through that mess Giblet described on our own?

"What do you mean the last time wasn't that difficult?" Batman asked, obviously interested in that new tidbit of information. I glanced at him for a moment.

Did I really want to reveal more information than necessary to the paranoid guy that would plan to paralyze me from the neck down in case I go 'rogue'? It really wasn't a good idea to give that man more ammunition than I had to.

On the other hand, it wasn't really information pertaining to me and it might accelerate their research in finding my universes. Though then again, I wasn't sure if I wanted them to have a way to my universe. If I was sure I could arrive back in my universe before they attacked then this would have been an easier choice, but I would rather accelerate my return if it meant that an easily killable human knew where my home was. Fuck it.

"The last time, the Justice Leagues of two earths created a device not unlike this that drilled into the universe's reality to create a path where we were able to travel through. Don't ask me how they did it. I hadn't bothered to check and just conveyed the information between the earths as they did their test runs over the span of some weeks."

"How were you able to convey the information if you were in another universe?"

"Through dreams."

"Dreams?" I just nodded at Batman's inquiry. He looked like he wanted an explanation of how that worked, but I didn't truly understand it myself, so I just shrugged at his gaze. He grunted before holding his chin as he thought about something. "They must have collaborated and pinpointed the location by mirroring the energy they detected. These universes would also need to be fairly close. We might be able to replicate it with a powerful laser that could penetrate out of the universe. Though you would have to 'dream' again and we would need to make sure we weren't detected."

"Yeah, that's probably not going to happen. It isn't something I can just do." I shook my head as I thought about possibly having to search a nigh-infinite multiverse. Wait. I glanced at Giblet. "Why were you confident that we could find it if the places the universes were located at were random and could change at any time."

He looked confused for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "Because of Chronoa's barrier. She had limited the space in which it could change, so we won't have to search everywhere just in this section of this reality. Because of her we just have a few thousand universes to check."

"Man, why couldn't it be just 52? Then we could have finished it in a day." I groaned as I watched the gate expand until it was contained by the rims surrounding it.

"You ready?" Giblet asked as a layer of grey aura surrounded his body. I followed suit.

"Let's do it," I said before my aura burst out and pushed me off the ground, flying headfirst into the gate. Giblet flew next to me as the surroundings changed to a mess of colors and impressions before we entered the familiar space-time dimension. Storms were all around us.

I felt a piece of space-time smash into the layer of my ki as I looked around vigilantly. Giblet had told me that They wouldn't be able to enter, but they had minions to hunt us down if they saw us. From what he had told me, these minions ranged from some versions of heroes and villains of the DC multiverse to the villains of the Dragon Ball universe who had allied with them.

Giblet seemed to have encountered some of them and had grown through the battles with them. Though it seemed that he wasn't able to eliminate them as they usually traveled in groups, putting Giblet at a disadvantage at every encounter.

"So what can I expect? That darkness again?" I asked as I looked around for a moment. Giblet shook his head.

"You don't have to worry about him if you don't burst out with uncontrollable energy again."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as if I had attracted his attention on purpose. "What did you expect me to do? Let me beat up by my supposed twin that came from nowhere?"

"I expected you to use god ki as it is much more controllable. Not that rage-fueled transformation, which you obviously couldn't control. Even Broly completely going berserk has better control than you with that transformation."

I could feel the vein on my forehead on the verge of bursting as I heard this. "You will see how uncontrollable it is when I bash your skull in."

"You think just because you use more quantity, it would overwhelm me? Please. I wasn't even that serious in our fight, while you were already pushing your limits. Now be quiet and let me focus."

My eyebrow twitched as this guy was really getting on my nerves. I looked around, trying to assess if we were in some kind of danger, but I wasn't really sure what I should be looking for. Besides we hadn't exited this universe yet, so it should be fairly safe, right? Or did we already exit its bounds?

The few times where I exited and entered another universe, it all looked the same. Colorful and really uncomfortable for my eyes and brain. I let my Super Saiyan power bubble beneath the surface, ready to emerge at a moment's notice. Although I disliked my 'twin', he had some points about my 'uncontrollable' energy.

Last night, I was barely able to sleep as I thought about our fight. The retrospective against warriors of his, reluctantly admitted, caliber did wonders for my growth. Every time I fought I learned so much about how I could improve. Just like this time when we clashed.

Every instance I went to my absolute limits, which I could count on one hand, resulted in a gigantic amount of energy overflowing out of my body. It was because my cells couldn't hold them, they broke and were then repaired. This meant I was getting stronger with each iteration I healed, but in the process, a lot of energy was constantly wasted.

In a direct clash with the same amount of energy, I would be at a disadvantage as I was a spotlight while he was a laser. The only reason I could compete was that my quantity bridged the gap between the quality of our ki. If I could concentrate all the energy I had, I would be able to completely crush him, but the ki was just too violent.

My ki control had improved massively. I could enter Super Saiyan 2 and my attacks would be razor-sharp with no wasted energy. Even the early stages of my Legendary state were completely under my control. However, it really fell off when I was strained to my limits. I couldn't deny it. I was just too inexperienced with it. I only had this transformation for a month now, after all.

Of course, it had a positive side. Since it was so violent and uncontrollable at the peak of my strength, meant I benefited from my Saiyan physique. Getting Zenkai boosts was almost a given the moment I used it. It was the reason why I could even compete with him in the first place. The image fight against Kakarot and Vegeta and a month of training were the reason my power had grown to this degree where I could compete with a God with a knock-off Legendary Super Saiyan form.

My base power would grow tremendously as I rebuild my body every time I used this transformation. Of course, control was a bit of a problem, like it had been for most of the time I trained, but it would come with time. A few more fights where I was pushed to the limit and I would figure it out as well.

After a moment of silence, Giblet suddenly opened his eyes before grabbing me on the shoulder. Our surroundings seemed to change. It was difficult to notice as the space was ever-changing and it looked almost the same.

"It should be in this region somewhere. The residue of your ki is the strongest here." I couldn't help but frown at his statement. I couldn't sense anything. He seemed to notice my confusion and explained. "Your energy is spread into space-time. It is difficult to sense if you don't rely on your spirit... I will teach you some other time, but we should move quickly We should be close to where I found you. However, finding where you came from is a bit more difficult."

As Giblet squinted his eyes to look into the depth of this place, a demonic voice sounded out in my head. "You have finally arrived. My son-in-law." I tensed up when I heard that familiar voice.

The second enemy I had almost died against. Trigon and from the sound of it, it looked like it was the one from my universe- "Hahaha, boy. Sorry to disappoint, but you are dealing with the real thing."

Suddenly, a scorching heat that seemed to burn the space around us appeared before a shadowy figure floated directly toward us through the space-time storm. I turned towards it, but then realized it was accompanied by several figures surrounding us. Giblet put a hand on my shoulder, wanting to teleport us away as he had done before, but our surroundings didn't change. The figures were still approaching us.

"Shit." Giblet cursed before a red aura appeared around him. The action stunned me for a moment as a vast depth of divine might spread out of his body, nullifying the strange environment caused by Trigon. The strength he revealed just now was completely mind-boggling. Far beyond what he had used against me. Just how much god ki did he possess??

For a moment, I wondered why he hadn't used this kind of strength against me when we fought before I realized that it was to hide away his aura. Even though it was still far more contained compared to my aura, it was still significantly easier to notice his power. I guessed now that we were found, he had no reason to hold back anymore.

As soon as he pulled out all stops several other auras appeared, suppressing Giblets. Containing it to just a few meters around us. Each figure had a different aura that enveloped them and as they drew nearer, the space around us grew thicker with an oppressive weight.

A creeping sense of dread, terror, and destruction washed over us like a wave, threatening to overwhelm Giblet's power completely. The dimension around us seemed to tremble with the approaching force of destruction.

I pulled onto my legendary strength until it completely permeated every cell in my body. My skin was taut by the ki that filled my muscles. Ki uncontrollably flowed out of my body as it empowered me to the limit, keeping the evil power at bay. My psychic energy fused with my ki instinctively projected outwards, preventing a particular aura from corrupting my mind.

I waited as my ki destroyed my body and rebuild it. With every moment that passed with them approaching us, my power grew. Incorruptible, unyielding as I waited. Multiple auras filled my entire being with a sense of urgency and agency. With each passing moment, the figures seemed to approach slower only for me to realize that green waves swept against them, slowing their advance just slightly.

If the figures weren't enough, the darkness in the distance approached us from all sides. I glanced at it and for the first time, I gazed at it, I seem to have seen a ghastly face in it, laughing as it got closer. "The laws of their reality are preventing them from using all their power here." Giblet suddenly said solemnly. "You can find a way to escape them. I will take care of the others. Leave the moment you see a chance."

After saying that he disappeared as did several figures that were approaching, leaving only a handful behind. With the other auras disappearing, I could feel the oppressive weight lighten significantly. My vision cleared as the auras stopped obscuring my sight.

My gaze swept through the four that were still surrounding me. There was Trigon holding a familiar new god's head in his hand with several red tendrils piercing into it. He had a cruel smile on his face as he watched me with interest.

Not even bothered by the increasing power emanating from me. Despite my ki crashing into him, with his hair fluttering, he looked like he was enjoying a breeze. Heat rolled off his form like he was hell-embodied. I had seen a lot of demons during my time in hell, but none had come close to what he was projecting at this moment.

To his left, with his eyes ablaze, Darkseid floated towards me with his hands behind his back. He looked different than before. The dimension around him seemed to crumble, dissipating into its basic components before being erased from existence.

Another being evidently on a similar level. Clad in armor, a powerful and ancient existence that emitted a similar aura to that of Darkseid. Merely looking at him made me connect him to a distant memory I had of him. I knew his name despite never meeting him before. Mobius. Also called the Anti-Monitor.

And another one that seemed to pale in comparison to the others' physical appearance. A being that seemed to be something between a corpse or skeleton with an open chest, revealing a rotten heart. A black scythe in his hand rotted away the dimension around it, while his long robe possessed several ghastly faces and arms that reached out of his robe as if they yearned for their release. I could see familiar faces among them. Similar to Mobious, his aura demanded knowing. Knowing of the representation of Death. Nekron.

Although physically he looked the least intimidating and frail in comparison, his aura caused a shiver down my spine. Instinctively I categorized him as the greatest threat among the beings that surrounded me. My power was increasing more rapidly as I looked at Nekron like my body knew it needed more if it wanted to survive.

These beings reached the peak. Cosmic entities that had long been stripped away from a mortal existence or even their divine existence. These weren't just dominating forces of a single universe, which I had encountered before. This wasn't the Trigon I had barely won against, this wasn't the Darkseid I had slain for sport who was now judging my worth with those blazing eyes that promised pain.

They were beyond what I have ever encountered. Multiversal beings that could wipe out a multiverse on their own. And these were just minions of Them? What the hell was Kakarot and Vegeta fighting??

I took a deep breath. Giblet said that they were limited and I should seize an opportunity to escape. However, was I to flee with my tail between my legs? Despite the gap, I felt as I gazed into them, I couldn't help but feel indignant about that notion. Still, at the same time, I knew it would be the right call.

I wasn't even sure if I could fight them. All of my self was working on overload, climbing higher and higher as countless images of me dying against them shot through my mind. I even ignored the terrifying explosion that seemed to strip away all there was. Several booms stole all sounds and rendered all our surroundings asunder. Banishing all sounds in this noisy place with pure force of the collision. Giblet was clashing against his enemies and from the impact of force that made my ever-flowing waves of energy disperse like droplets in a hurricane.

"I would love to play with you, but your brother needs to die today." Trigon's guttural voice sounded out as he raised his arm. The flaming demonic energy around him stirred as it traveled to his arm. As soon as I saw this I disappeared from the spot.

I looked down, having put a planet-sized distance between me and the blast, and watched. Watched as the explosion of the demonic attack created a hellfire that burned through anything in its way. The only thing that was in his way was space-time itself. However, I did not care for the result of the attack. I felt a shiver and instantly disappeared again.

Only to watch a black beam pass through my previous spot. I almost died, I concluded as glanced at Nekron's finger from which black liquid flowed before dissipating. I moved again, dodging a zigzagging beam before a powerful blast appeared from the side, illuminating the ever-darkening place with a bright orange light.

I transformed my energy into a sphere, tanking the two attacks. My sphere deformed from the onslaught. Before Nekron sliced through the sphere with his scythe, letting Mobius close in. I rose my arm and blocked the punch. A sickening crunch sounded out as I was flung through this dimension.

Nekron suddenly appeared and attempted to touch me. I backed away. Death seemed to breathe onto me as I looked at his hand trying to touch me. His finger glowed with a deathly black. A beam pierced through the distance. Instantly arriving and penetrating my sides. With a burst, I left behind an afterimage, dodging another beam from Mobius. I gritted my teeth as I felt the rotting power eating away at my flesh.

My ki erupted towards the wound, drowning it with ki. The broken arm healed as well, but there was no moment for me to relax. Trigon waved his arm, spawning a solar system-sized wall of flames. Three different powers shot at me from behind. Anti-matter blasts, Omega Beams, and a death beam.

My power surged, but it would hardly be enough. Too much energy was wasted. I needed to concentrate the energy. Cancel my enemies' attacks out. Precise and controlled. My aura constricted before shooting out three blasts. They collided with the attacks at the back. I instinctively opened my mouth and released a stream of energy, colliding with the hellfire.

"Die!" A giant flaming fist enlarged in my view. I titled my body barely out of the way. My shoulder was grazed by it, instantly shattering on impact. My flesh burned away as the energy tried to overwhelm my ki. Another one rushed in, punching my side. His fist as large as my torso. Several ribs instantly broke.

I corrected my flight and looked at my assailants. My hand raised and my finger glowed before shooting out. Piercing through the distance at impossible speeds. Trigon, Darkseid, and Mobius retaliated with energy attacks of their own. Canceling the beams out with ridiculous ease.

My eyes constricted as they blocked everything out. Only the tip of the scythe was in my view. A lean backward spared me an instant death. With my aura burning, I sped through the dimension. I glanced back and saw them gaining on me.

Cold sweat was running down my back as I felt my death approaching. Suddenly, I felt a heat burning in my stomach. I looked down fearing to find a hole inside my torso, only to see I was fine. However, I felt something spread from the inside of my torso into every inch of my body.

With it came the memories of a journey I hadn't undertaken, of battles I hadn't fought, of people I had never met, of a Saiyan being called Shallot. Someone I was not. A soul that was shattered, broken, and mixed into the Omnificience Crystal. It was called upon an unthought, unspoken wish to survive, to grow stronger, to be unstoppable, to destroy my enemies. The birthright, the divine calling in his existence, his fate as a God stolen by my wish to live.